


Kitty, Kitty, Kitty-Cat (Who Are You?)

by Rellanka



Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [14]
Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: FF7 Remake Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, animal possession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23791999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka
Summary: There’s finally a cat that likes Cloud!Too bad it’s possessed.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697269
Comments: 18
Kudos: 401





	Kitty, Kitty, Kitty-Cat (Who Are You?)

**Author's Note:**

> Someone had to write this, and unfortunately for all involved, everyone else waited long enough that that someone wound up being me!
> 
> #Dub-con considering the situation which could be verging into non-con,   
> #Cloud gets a nice thing but it's a lie   
> #Spoiler: Sephiroth is possessing the cat   
> #This isn't going to help Cloud's trust issues

The eyes really should have tipped him off. But Cloud had been doing his best to desensitize himself in seeing eyes like that in what he thought were harmless animals, so the coal-black cat’s eyes were something he didn’t pay much attention to. 

Much more interesting was the way that the cat walked right up to him and rubbed itself against his legs. 

“Wow.” Tifa remarked, staring at the cat in a similar fashion to the way Cloud that was, raising her eyebrows when the cat planted his butt right beside Cloud’s boot and proceeded to lean over to rub its face very thoroughly against Cloud’s leg. “I can’t believe it but I guess we finally found a cat that likes you, Cloud. Or at least thinks you belong to it, if the way it’s claiming you is any indication.” 

“Hmph.” Cloud said noncommittally as he leaned down, privately pleased when he stroked a hand over the cat’s head and the cat arched into his touch rather than try to run away. “You think this is another one of Betty’s cats?” 

“No, as far as I know she doesn’t have a black cat like _this_.” Tifa said, coming closer. 

But when she was a few feet away, the cat let out a thunderous growl that sounded far too deep for such a small animal, one that sent Tifa stumbling back it shock, and took off down the street of the Sector Seven slums. 

Cloud and Tifa both stared at the thing as it disappeared around a corner with a flick of a black tail. Then, Cloud turned to Tifa. 

“Are you okay? It didn’t hurt you, did it?” Cloud hadn’t seen it actually strike out against Tifa, but cats were fast sometimes, and Tifa looked a little shaken. 

“No, no, just surprised me. I’m fine.” She paused for a minute before a smile bloomed on her face once more, “Figures that a cat that liked you would be defensive and prickly.” 

“Shut up.” Cloud huffed as he turned away from her and walked down the street himself. With a laugh, Tifa joined him and they continued on their way. 

***

Cloud frowned at the small, dark figure standing in front of his apartment door. How on earth had the thing even found him? _Had_ it found him, or was this just a really odd coincidence? 

“Hey, go back home. You scared Tifa.” Cloud said to the cat, feeling a little silly by doing so. He felt even sillier when the cat didn’t budge, instead staring up at him expectantly like it was waiting for him to do something about it. But really, did he have any room to judge the cat, for reacting defensively when a stranger abruptly approached? How often had Cloud drawn his sword on someone when he felt the same way? More than once, that was for sure. The cat hadn’t even hurt Tifa. If it had, then Cloud **would** have made it go away. 

Still, as well kept as the cat looked, fur a glossy black with no signs of dirt or starvation, this must be _someone’s_ cat. Someone who was likely missing their pet. 

“Go back home.” Cloud repeated uselessly as he opened the door. Completely ignoring his words, the cat slid smoothly inside before Cloud could even try to stop it, completely avoiding Cloud’s attempts to keep it out.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Cloud gave up and just followed the animal inside. 

If someone asked him about the cat tomorrow, he would return it; but for tonight he would let it stay. 

It might even be nice, to have some company for once. 

***

Cloud was blushing before he was even fully awake. He threw an arm over his eyes and groaned deeply in embarrassment at the feeling of the sticky mess that was inside of his pants. His dreams last night had been… vivid, much more so than they usually were (and they usually were pretty vivid to begin with.) The nature of them something that he would never, ever reveal to anyone else. 

Bringing his arm down, Cloud pushed himself from the bed to go get cleaned up, groaning again at the ache that radiated from his tailbone up his spine. It had to be a phantom ache, right? Cloud knew what he’d been doing in his dreams, but considering that they had been _dreams_ , surely he couldn’t be actually the physical effects of it?

In the midst of his confusion, Cloud’s eyes caught sight of the dark form loafed out on the pillow beside Cloud’s own and looking mightily impressed with itself as only cats could somehow look. It was a pretty similar position to how it had been when Cloud had gone to sleep, and Cloud was flooded with embarrassment all over again that he’d had **that** sort of dream when a cat was sleeping right next to him in the bed. 

Looking away from the cat, feeling bizarrely as if he couldn’t meet the cat’s eyes, Cloud walked over to the bathroom and finally went through with the task of getting himself cleaned up. 

***

“So, I’m still saying that we should make Badass Super Killer Cat our mascot!” Wedge was saying enthusiastically one night when he’d actually managed to convince Cloud to keep him company in the bar. “It would be great! Really show those Shinra assholes what mascots should be!” 

It’d been a few days since the black cat had taken to following Cloud around _everywhere_ , usually perched on his shoulder after scaring the life out of him while leaping onto its perch. The sudden weight pressing down on his shoulder after the cat landed had happened often during the past few days, but Cloud still wasn’t desensitized to it. 

Just like, despite the many rebuffs he’d received from Cloud’s new accessory, Wedge wasn’t any less determined that he’d make friends with what everyone was calling Cloud’s new cat. Even though the cat wasn’t friendly to **anyone** but Cloud. It would verbally let its displeasure be known whenever anyone got within 10 feet of Cloud, and thereby 10 feet of it, letting out deep growls that ensured that anyone sane stayed well away. Those that broke that distance, like the idiotic thugs that had come looking for Barret the other day, got scratched down to their bone. 

Knowing about that meant that the growls were enough warning for the rest of Avalanche to stay well away, and Cloud was still trying to get used to the sudden and not always wanted extension of his personal space bubble. 

“We’re not naming the cat that. And it’s not becoming the Avalanche mascot.” Cloud said dryly with an attempt at patience, for what felt like the thousandth time to Wedge’s insistence. “Besides, how would that even make sense? He doesn’t even like any of you.” 

“He may not like me _now_ , but you just watch, bro, me and that cat are going to become best friends before you know it. I have never failed in befriending a cat before, and I’m not going to fail now! It’ll be awesome, I promise.” Wedge said, visibly determined. 

From the way that the cat was looking at Wedge like it was eyeing the best way to go for his jugular, Cloud had doubts. 

***

Even with the way the cat didn’t like anyone else, everything was going fine with its sudden inclusion in whatever group Cloud was even peripherally a part of. 

Up until the moment when everything went to hell. 

It wasn’t even a surprise anymore when the cat stiffened on Cloud’s shoulder and released a fearsome-sounding growl.

What was a surprise was the soft thump behind Cloud and the childish cry of pain. 

Cloud whirled to see Marlene sitting on the bar floor looking up at him with teary eyes. 

“I just wanted to pet the pretty kitty.” She cried, and Cloud’s mind had just enough time to feel start feeling guilty before he abruptly realized what Marlene’s tears meant. Fuck.

Sure enough, 0.0003 seconds later, Barret was directly in his space, shoving his gun arm in Cloud’s face even as the man somehow managed to place himself protectively between Cloud and his daughter with the small amount of space between them. 

“Where the hell do you and your damned demon get off thinking you can scare Marlene like that, hu- Shit!” Barret jerked his arm away as one of the cat’s paws lashed out and Barret’s gun arm abruptly started sparking. 

Twisting his arm to observe the space where the cat had scratched him, Barret said in a disbelieving tone, “That damned thing actually managed to get through the _metal_.” 

Cloud flinched at that, drawing back and to the side enough that he could squeeze past Barret in his surprise and make his way to the door. He really didn’t like the sound of that, and he certainly didn’t like the knowledge that the cat on his shoulder was apparently more dangerous than he ever thought. Barret might be overly protective, but if the cat on his shoulder was a danger to Marlene, maybe even a genuine danger to the other members of Avalanche… Cloud couldn’t afford to keep it around. 

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know that it could do that. I’m just going to go and… take care of this. Don’t worry, you won’t see the cat again.” He threw over his shoulder as he headed out of the bar. 

“Yeah, I’d better not.” Barret called after him. 

***

Back in his apartment, Cloud frowned down at the cat that was currently stretched casually over his bed, giving off a smug, blood thirsty aura like a predator that had just gotten a good bite out of their prey. 

“Look.” Cloud said firmly, crossing his arms and staring down at the cat. “You can’t stay here anymore.” 

The cat ignored him. 

“I mean it.” Cloud insisted. “You scared Marlene and hurt Barret. You have to go.” 

The cat raised one paw up to its face and began lazily grooming itself while Cloud watched, completely unconcerned with his words **and** his visible displeasure. The familiar sight made Cloud feel oddly fond. (Fuck, he was actually going to miss this furry little asshole, wasn’t he?)

Still, keeping the cat truly was no longer an option.

“I’m serious. I have to get rid of you. It’s up to you if this goes well or if it goes badly.” Cloud said sternly, reaching out and getting ready to grab the cat up to chuck it out of his apartment if he had to. 

It was at this point that things started changing. 

Suddenly, the cat started morphing form as Cloud watched. Started elongating and stretching and _growing_ until suddenly- suddenly- it was no longer a cat. Until suddenly, it was the figure of the man that haunted Cloud’s nightmares and most heated, shameful dreams. The dreams that Cloud had been having every night, since the cat first showed up. 

Cloud’s hand went instantly to the hilt of his sword as realization hit him, his eyes spitting fire at the cat-turned-man. 

“You. **Bastard.** ” He spat at Sephiroth through gritted teeth, getting ready to draw his sword when suddenly Sephiroth was _on_ him, pushing him back into the wall behind him with a dark, smug smirk and pinning him there.

“Rid of me? Oh, Cloud, you will _never_ be rid of me. I thought you knew that by now?” Sephiroth purred directly into Cloud’s ear, leaning close, so close to do it. 

Cloud tried his best to jerk his head to the side to smash his skull against Sephiroth’s _face_ , and the man pulled back slightly with a laugh. 

“It’s not time for us to fight just yet, Cloud. You really need to be more patient.” The man just stood there, smirking at him, letting Cloud struggle fruitlessly against the firmness of his grip. Making it clear that no matter how Cloud thrashed, it was Sephiroth in control, “But enjoyable as this time has been, I’m afraid that there are some things that I must do. I suppose I will have to leave you, for a time. But don’t worry, Cloud. Even when it looks like I’ve left you,” Sephiroth leaned close once more, breathing the last of his words against Cloud’s lips, “I promise, I’m never truly gone.” 

In a swirl of dark mist, Sephiroth disappeared. At Cloud’s feet was a coal-black cat, meowing in what sounded like confusion. Somehow, Cloud knew that it now truly _was_ a cat, and not Sephiroth any longer. Not that that was all that comforting.

Slumping against the wall behind him, Cloud ran a hand over his face. 

And prayed that Sephiroth had been lying about what he’d said. 

(Even though a part of Cloud knew that he hadn’t been.)

**Author's Note:**

> Some things: No, Sephiroth didn't actually physically molest Cloud while possessing the cat. He used the nearness of the form he was possessing, plus the hold he already has on Cloud through the Jenova cells, to influence Cloud's dreams more strongly than he already had been. He didn't every attack any of Cloud's friends before he stuck against Barret because he knew that Cloud would kick him out if he did, and that would be his fun over. 
> 
> I **didn't** name this 'Keep That Pussy Away From Me' like I kind of wanted to, so you're all welcome for that. 
> 
> Lastly: I feel like a god tier ending this would be Cloud and the cat bonding because the cat is still a creature that’s been under Sephiroth’s control and has Jenova cells inside it that it didn’t ask for. With Cloud taking in the cat as a genuine pet, and the cat helping him fight the enemies he encounters along the way in the Remake. And then when Sephiroth takes him to the edge of creation and proposes to him, Cloud tosses the cat at Sephiroth’s face and it does its level best to try to claw the One Winged Angel’s eyes out. It fails, of course, but Sephiroth is a little charmed by both of them for the attempt.


End file.
